CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.6.9

Mir Pushed the Frontier of Space Before the International Space Station, the largest structure in space was the Mir space station. The Soviets (and Russians) built Mir in orbit from 1986 to 1996. The station lasted another five years before its orbit decayed and it burned up on re-entry in 2001. As the first modular space station, Mir pushed the frontiers of science, but as a result, living conditions inside weren't glamorous.

I Am Latvia In the beginning, my people were primitive, and they used my resources to survive. They used stone, and then bronze and iron for tools. They traded with other peoples from afar, beyond my reaches. They became clever and prosperous; they built permanent homes for themselves. I was happy. I am beautiful. I stretch from the Baltic Sea to the southern Daugava River, and the lands within are rich. Or, at least, they once were . . . before the invaders came. But my lands had contained riches, of dolomite and lumber, and most of all, of amber.

The Aloha State More than any other state, Hawaii is world famous for its beauty and pleasant climate. This is probably why Hawaii, the “Aloha State,” is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the world, and why I would love to visit this state someday. Besides being a great place for tourists, though, Hawaii is also a great place to live and has over one million residents. Hawaii is made up entirely of islands and is located in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The closest of its islands to the U.S. mainland is about 2,091 miles southwest of San Francisco.

Unique Wolves If you visit northern Wisconsin, don't be surprised to hear the eerie and beautiful howl of wolves at night. They have returned after about 40 years of absence. By the 1950's, wolves had been driven out of their ancient homeland by ranchers and the federal government. Wolves killed livestock for food, so they were considered nuisances. But starting in the 1990's, the state reintroduced wolves to help manage the deer population. The number of wolves has now rebounded to nearly a thousand. Wolves are relatives to coyotes, foxes, jackals, dingoes, and our pet dogs.

The Incredible Egg Procedure: On October 5, I gathered a large Styrofoam cup, an egg, some vinegar, some corn syrup, and some water. Before I started the lab, I weighed the egg on a scale. Because the egg would just roll off the scale if I set it down by itself, I weighed the cup, and then added the egg. After I knew how much the egg weighed, I poured enough vinegar in the cup to submerge the egg. I then covered the top of the cup with plastic wrap and set the egg aside. The next day, I washed the egg and the cup and weighed the egg.